Recovery from Hurricane Matthew in Cumberland County will take months, even years for some. The record rainfall of 24 inches over two days was unprecedented and totally unexpected even by the National Weather Service. It resulted in urban flooding directly attributed to the storm as well as utility issues caused by downed power lines and uprooted trees. Hundreds of homes were heavily damaged, some beyond repair. PWC crews worked well into last week restoring electricity across Fayetteville. Even the water treatment plant lost power. The state had to test the water once the plant was up and running. And, as is the case in almost every facet of state operations, it took days for test results to come up negative as to contamination.

The statistics are record setting: 15 inches of rain in one day. More than 700 people saved during 255 high water rescues by late Sunday of last week. No serious injuries or fatalities were directly attributed to the storm. Property losses are staggering. Some estimates place the total monetary loss of homes and businesses across Cumberland County in 10 figures. And it wasn’t just in Fayetteville. Hope Mills and Spring Lake were also hit hard. Just about everyone agrees, the record-setting storms, which began on Oct. 4 and continued Oct. 8 and 9, were unprecedented in modern memory.